Research

International Materials Institute for Solar Energy and Environment

History

2009-2014

IMI-SEE was launched in the fall of 2009 by Northwestern University in partnership with Louisiana State University and a network of ten universities in China. The Institute was funded under the NSF International Materials Institute (NSF-IMI) program managed by the NSF Division of Materials Research, Office of Special Programs. The role of NSF-IMI was to coordinate collaborative research and education among international partners and establish programs and mechanisms that support this goal.

IMI-SEE established two multisector collaborative research and global networks in the US and China with a grant of $4 million from NSF.

﻿Mission

The mission of IMI-SEE was to foster leading edge materials research in critical areas of solar energy conversion and environmental protection through global cooperation and global leadership training.

﻿Focus

IMI-SEE research and education programs focused on three topical areas, with a cross-cutting focus on nano-structured materials:

Solar to Electric Energy Conversion

Solar to Fuel Energy Conversion

Nanotoxicology / Control of air pollutants, combustion, aerosol processes

IMI-SEE education programs emphasized (a) the development of courses and lectures to be shared by our partners and (b) global leadership development for graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty.

﻿Objectives

Foster and coordinate international collaborative research among US, Chinese, and other global partners

Launch joint education programs for course sharing, research training, and global leadership development

Establish multi-sector partnerships with academic, industry, and government labs

Lead the development of shared research facilities and networking capabilities in support of our IMI-SEE mission, including a series of jointly funded Global E-Institutes that will support long-term collaborative research and education

﻿IMI Affiliates and Participating Institutions

The IMI was headquartered at Northwestern University and had a Chinese office at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The IMI included researchers from 15 affiliated institutions in the US and 12 affiliates in China.